Xael stared blankly at the principal's bald head shining due to the sunlight coming from the window behind him. Currently he's being held at the principal office along with Larry who had both of his arms patched up and their professor Ms. Grevanta. The principal was fuming behind the desk as he stared at them with anger.
"Care to explain yourself now Ms. Grevanta?" The principal asked.
"W-Well you see Sir, I was originally watching over them as they do their activity. However, one of the students fainted to which I accompanied her to the clinic to make sure she's alright." Ms. Grevanta started explaining herself as she humbly emphasized how she was responsible for accompanying her fainted students. "And just like you, what I witnessed was a burnt classroom when I came back."
"What about you both? What do you have to say for yourself?!" The principal then turned towards both Larry and Xael.
"Like I said earlier Mr. Principal. It was Xael's fault. The cause of this is his inscribed mana circle." Larry confidently pointed towards Xael. Who stood silently on the corner. Xael lifted his gaze from the principal's bald head towards Larry's fingers that was pointing at him.
"Is it true Xael?" The principal asked as he stared with complicated gaze towards the boy. He was the prodigy they once fostered, hoping to bring fame to their Academy. Grehan Academy was known as one of the Major Academies. However, it is not unknown that they have started to decline ever since not producing another magic genius in the past 35 years.
It was with Xael's enrollment that they have found another hope to turn the tides for the Academy. But who knew that with the Lotus event he was found to be a waste. Their academy became a laughingstock for the other major academies and even from the neighboring kingdoms.
Xael returned his gaze towards the principal. His mind still spinning towards the current task at hand. He was considering how to approach the problem with clearing up his name. After some thinking, he decided to be honest with the situation. "It is true. The cause of the explosion was my inscribed mana circle."
"Hah! See, I told you he's the cause!" Larry exclaimed triumphantly towards them. But before he could continue to gloat, Xael quickly cut him off.
"It is my inscribed mana circle but-" Xael then proceeded to raise his hand, and in a similar manner, pointed towards Larry. "He was the one who activated it."
"You! What are you saying! You magicless waste now you're passing the blame to me!!!" Larry turned red with anger as he faced Xael's pointing fingers. He couldn't help but rush towards Xael to which the boy dodged sideways. Ms. Grevanta immediately restrained Larry when she saw what happened.
"Yes, how could you pass the blame to Larry? I know that you've been hiding your dissatisfaction because of discovering that you're talentless but taking out on your classmates is wrong. You are involving innocent people Xael!" Ms. Grevanta couldn't help but righteously deny Xael's claim. As if pointing that he intentionally planned to involve hurting his classmates.
"Xael, my dear boy, how could you?" the principal couldn't help but sigh. It was true that he ignored the matter of Xael after learning that he was a waste, but he didn't expect for it to become this serious. "Although you were once the Academy's treasured prodigy, there's also a bottom-line to my tolerance. Hurting others can result you to expulsion."
"Hahahahaha! You see! You're just some former prodigy who's now a waste! You have no value and you're even being expelled." Larry was overconfident that Xael was going to be expelled from school one way or another. He couldn't wait to see his look once he drags his bag and steps out of this school like an abandoned puppy. Ever since the first time he came its always Xael's name that he keeps hearing. All sorts of praise. Look what happened now.
[A thought from Xael has surfaced.]
[Would you like a peek?]
As Xael was thinking of how to prove himself since he's in the predicament of people not listening to his words or believing him since now, they are prejudiced because of his waste attributes. The panel appeared in front of him. He gazed towards Larry who was gloating, Ms. Grevanta with undisguised ridicule along with the principal's sympathetic gaze.
He turned towards the choice and chose yes. Bizarrely, after choosing the yes option, it was as if time stopped everything went still with silence. Even he, except from breathing and moving his eyes, he couldn't move himself like a statue. His eyes focused in-front where he saw words appearing in thin air.
It's always waste this and waste that. I'm tired. Very tired of hearing it over and over again. Is it my fault that I don't have magic affinity? why? did I choose to be born this way?
I didn't. So why am I the one bearing all the burden. Why is it my fault?
Xael stared at those words. He could feel it. Deep inside him. He could feel the confusion, He was lost, afraid, and scared. He didn't choose to be born that way, yet he has to bear the unsatisfaction of the world.
[Preview time is over.]
The words slowly disappeared like a smoke into the wind as time started to continue again. His mind was now filled with clarity. He admits that even though he felt empathetic when he saw Xael's life and all his suffering, he was planning on using Xael's body with only the goal of completing the task to return to his own world. He wasn't planning on interfering directly with Xael's life.
As long as he's safe and could complete the task then he'd be okay. He wasn't minding the rumors or the subtle bullying that took place because in his mind he wasn't the one they were referring to. Although it felt uncomfortable, he thought that he on some time and he'd be back to earth and leave this all behind.
But now, he couldn't help but want to give himself a beating for acting like an ungrateful bastard. For what he knows Xael is slumbering in the body he's using due to the intense trauma. And he, like some scumbag, starts using Xael's body so he could turn back time on earth and live again.
'Mama's gonna beat my ass with her slipper once she knew what her child did. Not to mention dad, he ain't gonna be protecting me. He'd probably join mama on this one and pull out his belt. I don't blame them. I was thinking like a fucking bastard.'
Xael thought to himself as sighed and patted his chest. He made a new decision. He won't be using this body without any payback to the owner. Think of it as him paying his rent. He then focused his attention on the people in front of him.
'Hey brother, I'm sorry for being an ingrate. I changed my mind. You know what? I'll give you a big surprise when you're finally ready to wake up again.'
"We can't tolerate your evil mind. You have gone astray and I'm afraid the academy can't accommodate you anymore. Please pack your bags and-"
"Wait Mr. Principal." Xael caught the principal mid-sentence. He inserted his hands in his pockets and started to walk from the corner towards the principal's table. Stopping after he was a few steps in front of the table.
"Before you decide that I'll be expelled, why don't we ask our other classmates to prove my side of the story? They're all present in the classroom, so they clearly know what really took place there right? Don't you agree Larry?" Xael then raised his hands spread it openly in the air as he turned towards Larry.
"You-!" Larry was shocked seeing how Xael recovered.
Xael interrupted Larry before he could start his immature antics. He then provocatively taunted him. "What? Afraid that you'll be proven wrong? You were so overconfident earlier pointing fingers at me and placing the blame. Could it be guilty conscience?"
"It was clearly your mana circle! I am right! you are the cause of this! You're nothing but a useless waste!" Larry flared up with Xael's effective provocation.
"Enough! Like Xael said, let's ask all your classmates for the truth." The principal slapped his palms on the table. His face was slightly red due to the embarrassment. With what Xael said earlier, it implies that he was biased, and he was conjuring verdicts without checking the facts. The same goes for Ms. Grevanta who has an ugly expression on the other side, it was like a slap on her face when Xael pointed her being partial and placing blames.
All of them started walking towards the recovery room where the rest of the class were. Everyone was confused and startled when they saw them entering the room. The principal cleared his throat and started explaining why they were there. Each one would take turns to be asked by the principal.
As the first student walked towards the principal, he met Larry's warning gaze. He couldn't help but gulp as the principal asked him.
"What happened before the explosion Ferni?" The principal asked.
"I-... I didn't see clearly but I saw Xael stood up and walk towards the podium where his activity sheets were at along with Larry and Denis. Then the explosion happened." Ferni replied before evading his gaze. The principal nodded and turned to the next student.
Continuously, they heard the same answers from the students to which gives them very vague answers to the real truth. In the middle of this, Xael saw how Larry asked to go to the toilet and along the way to the door he slinged his arms in another classmate's shoulders. Xael licked his lips and just smiled to himself before he continued listening and observing to the rest of the class.
When there were only about ten people left, suddenly someone raised his hands and exclaimed. "I know what really happened."
The principal asked that person to come forward and Xael saw a very familiar person. The principal asked him the same thing he asked with the others. But now they received a different reply.
"I saw it clearly... I was seated near the podium so I could hear what happened. It was Xael who caused the explosion!" She exclaimed as she pointed towards him. Everyone gasped and turned to him.
"And care to explain to me why I'd do that?" Xael calmly asked as he crossed his arms.
"They-they were ridiculing your work to be a b-blind chicken's drawing, and you got mad, so you activated your inscribed mana circle." She stuttered as she evaded staring at Xael, she was clasping her trembling hands as she narrated what she said she saw and hear. The class grew silent as they stared at her. Then they turned towards Larry who just came back, they saw his threatening gaze over them.
They gulped and chose to stay silent. Although Xael was a prominent prodigy before, who came from an aristocratic family but right now he's unsupported and was disdained to by his family. He's no worse than a commoner now. But Larry was known to be the favorite grandson of the Duke Nagyen. They can't afford to offend him now.
The principal asked her if it's true and she nodded her head in response. A few voices came from the class who supported what she said, and all was now blaming Xael.
"Xael, you have now heard what your classmates said. Will you willingly leave the academy now?" The principal sternly asked Xael, now recovering from the shame he felt earlier alongside with Ms. Grevanta who let out snide comments.
'Hah. Looks like I can't turn towards his classmates for clearing up my name huh. Then how about this. Since you keep emphasizing that I'm a waste then I'll fully embrace it for you.'
"Yes Mr. principal but..." Xael gazed helplessly at his classmates. Larry felt a sense of foreboding when he saw it. It was as if he was disappointed and hurt because of what his classmates said. "You see, I did draw the mana circle, but everyone knows I'm someone without affinity for magic. I couldn't possibly activate it right?"
The principal grew silent along with the crowd as they thought of this. Yes. He was tested in the Lotus event. He was known to have no mana flowing in his veins so he couldn't possibly activate a mana circle that needs application of mana to activate. Gears started turning into his mind.
"I just didn't expect to be accused wrongly for this. I am an innocent person who suffers from bullying and constant ridicule, but I didn't expect for my very own classmates to turn against me." Xael covered his eyes as he pursed his lips as if he couldn't bear to see his classmates.
"Do you swear that what you said earlier was the truth?" The principal turned towards the girl again causing the girl to take a few steps back. Her eyes wandered erratically before landing into Larry's gloomy face.
"I-...I" The girl had trouble coming up her rebuttal as she stared at the principal's questioning eyes.
But right as of this moment the door of the recovery room opened causing everyone to turn their head towards that direction. They saw three people entering the room wearing a different uniform. One was Xylem along with his cousin and the purple haired guy. The principal immediately approached them with a humble smile and asked them what they were doing here.
"Oh, it's nothing serious; we were just heading towards the Office of Students External affairs to pass our files." Xylem replied with a smile as he roamed his gaze inside the room.
"I see I see, well do you need someone to guide you there?" The principal asked as he arranged his suit to which the three denied.
"It's okay we've already asked for the direction and checked the school building map." The purple haired guy named, Luthrem replied. Xylem's cousin has her gaze focused on Xael who was standing on the side with his hand still covering his face.
"Might I ask what's happening here?" Luthrem asked curiously as he notice a large number of students here along with the clerics on the side.
"We were just clearing out some matters-"
The principal couldn't continue his words when he was interrupted for the second time today. Now it was Xylem's cousin. "It was about the explosion earlier, right?"
The principal wiped his sweat due to her serious gaze, He timidly nodded his head to which she turned towards Xael again. "If you need help on clearing up everything behind it, I can offer my assistance. Using my clairvoyance skill, I can present to you what really took place in that room."